DJ Pancakes

DJ Pancakes is joining us as a Raleigh transplant! Pancakes is an amazing queer musical wizard specializing in 80s tunes and mashups of post punk, club music, electric sound, rap, and indie. She’s out to make your dance floor unique! DJ Pancakes currently has two EPs released, self-titled Skandal Revolta and I like Your Face.

Triangle Pride Band

The Triangle Pride Band intends to promote music as a medium of communication among people, provide high quality music for the community, and be ambassadors of the LGBT community. The Triangle Pride Band invites all interested adults, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, to join us in bringing an LGBT and Ally organization back to the region -while their initial focus is on the marching band, they hope to expand in the future to include concert and jazz ensembles. They are currently looking for members with all levels of musical experience, as well as individuals interested in being involved in the organization’s leadership. Participation is free!

Orlando Parker Jr.

Orlando is an accomplished Singer/Musician, Actor, Business Manager, Activist, and International Working Model from Detroit, Michigan. He originally got his start as a vocalist singing in church, and has strong ties to musical theater. Currently living in North Carolina, Orlando works to bring his artistic talent to the many people of Raleigh. He has an extensive portfolio in numerous areas of the arts, and has released his debut EP entitled Tell Me No this past year.

Posh Hammer

In the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina lives a trio of siblings with old souls and retro hair. This band comes with music for the ages. Combining perfectly crafted hooks and dance beats with the energy of rock n’ roll, Posh Hammer plays original pop-rock pieces. They make it all their own: Navied’s lyrics and lead work combined with Tasnim’s astonishing vocals, and Tiam’s driving bass gives Posh Hammer its own sound and its own vibe. Derivative? Of course. Unique? Absolutely. Fun? Way too much. Posh Hammer has made their career in music a top priority; even convincing their parents to homeschool them to give them the time needed to seriously pursue their dreams. By writing their own music and playing multiple instruments, this band is the real thing.

Sampson

Sampson the Comedian is distinctly unique: a thinking, funny, passionate comic - who bridges culture, race, age and community with fresh humor, straddling an understanding and a perspective of the world that both an African American straight mom and a young white DL bisexual teenage boy, or someone out, just for a night of fun and laughter all could equally relate to, while trying to recover from non-stop laughs and serious reflection. For over a decade, he has built his brand from the ground up, and most recently in the largest of venues, headlined the Howard Theater in his own show, as the first African American, out, gay male comic, as well as The White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Broadway in NYC, The Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood, San Francisco Punch Line, colleges, cruises and sold out concert venues around the world. Among the myriad of accolades that he’s received for his comedy, he’s been named “One of the 12 Queer Comics That Every One Must Know” by OUT.com and “One of The Funniest LGBT Comics” by Buzz Feed, Huffington Post, The Advocate & SWERV Magazine. In 2014, he was awarded the Entertainer of The Year Award by Blatino Oasis in Palm Springs, CA and in 2016 was nominated by the Bay Area Reporter for Best Male Comic in The San Francisco Bay Area.

High Bushy Tails

High Bushy Tails is an Alternative Country/Americana band known for their walls of soaring and soulful harmony. They pride themselves on careful song selection and songwriting to facilitate a delightful, immersive, and at times even cathartic experience for audiences. By actively and regularly expanding their repertoire, they have the flexibility to craft shows that are appropriate for a wide variety of settings. The band is comprised of Nora Augustine on vocals, Lisa Brownstone on vocals and violin, Brian Evans on vocals and guitar, Zach White on vocals and guitar, and Jim Kuras on bass guitar. The quintet performs regularly around the Triangle area.

Daphne Willis

With Chicago roots and Texas ties, Daphne Willis brings both musicality and grit to the songs she writes and plays. Born in San Antonio to a classically trained vocalist and audio engineer, Daphne began singing at an early age and found her way to the guitar in high school. Since then, she’s developed the confidence, melodic mastery and vocal range that have won her admirers from here to Beijing. She released her full-length album What to Say in 2010, which was co-produced by Tim Lauer and Grammy winner Gary Paczosa. Album number two, Because I Can, came out in 2011 and reached the number two spot on iTunes’ Top 40 Singer/Songwriter Chart. On her latest EP, Inside Outright, Daphne co-wrote songs with Hunter Davis, Chris Faulk, Angela Lauer, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Keri Barnes and Tim Lauer. Daphne currently calls Nashville home, where she crafts her distinct brand of pop and is poised to expand her fan base worldwide.

Raleigh Little Theater: Avenue Q

Recent college grad, Princeton, moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. Along with his new friends, Princeton struggles to find a job, date, and discover an ever-elusive purpose in life. Filled with gut-busting humor and a delightfully catchy score, not to mention puppets, this truly unique show has quickly become a favorite for audiences everywhere.

Shirlette Ammons

Shirlette Ammons is an Associate Producer for Emmy and Peabody Award-winning docu-series A CHEF’S LIFE, which is in its fourth season and airs on PBS stations throughout the country. She is also a writer and musician whose body of work includes two collections of poetry, three music projects and numerous collaborations with artists of various genres and international tours throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Shirlette’s most recent musical project, Lan guage Barrier, features guest appearances by Meshell Ndegeocello, The Indigo Girls and others. Her music has recently been featured in Vans Shoes’ “Truth X Vans” digital campaign. Shirlette also co-founded SugarQube Records in 2016 along with her twin sister, Shorlette.

Shirlette is a Cave Canem Fellow, an alum of the Next Level Program an international hip hop diplomacy program of the U.S. Embassy and UNC Music Department where she taught hip hop lyricism in Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia as well as a recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award, amongst other honors. Shirlette resides in Durham, North Carolina.